I don't think he is as much of a project as people are saying. His footwork is great he has an assortment of post moves, baby hook up and under, turn around jump shot. He is fantastic at creating a pocket of space. He may get called in the NBA for hooking, all though he uses his elbows instead of his whole arm. He looks comfortable shooting from 10-15ft, isn't afraid of contact. I think his curve is going to be more about getting stronger and learning the tricks of the NBA game. Alabi is a project...BigV is a contributor in his first year, maybe not 20/10 but I see 10/10 and 2 blocks as doable. Also he is already above 80% from the free throw line which if you are a prolific offensive rebounder is a fantastic combination to have. Get used to hearing Hoop and Harm or AND1 quite a bit.

I think the thing with JV is if his going to be able to stay on the floor long enough to put up those numbers. I can see him getting in a lot of early foul trouble against bigger 5s

I think the thing with JV is if his going to be able to stay on the floor long enough to put up those numbers. I can see him getting in a lot of early foul trouble against bigger 5s

The NBA is changing.. I don't think there are really that many bigger 5's in the league. Boston was playing KG at the 5 yesterday.. and Miami uses Bosh at the 5 when he's playing. Outside of Howard, Bynum and perhaps Bogut most 5's are versatile, lean and athletic (Chandler, Ibaka, Horford, Noah, etc). I think JV will actually do alright in that department even as a rookie.

The NBA is changing.. I don't think there are really that many bigger 5's in the league. Boston was playing KG at the 5 yesterday.. and Miami uses Bosh at the 5 when he's playing. Outside of Howard, Bynum and perhaps Bogut most 5's are versatile, lean and athletic (Chandler, Ibaka, Horford, Noah, etc). I think JV will actually do alright in that department even as a rookie.

There are some more guys with solid girth that you leave out. Gortat, Perkins, Pekovic, Marc Gasol, Hibbert, Brook Lopez, Demarcus Cousins, and I am sure I have missed a few. While many of these guys are not back you down bigs, they are full size big bodies that could cause some early problems in adjusting to NBA defence and pace.

Valanciunas Update

hopefully the lino works coming from my phone. SI front page says Valanciunas has started working a buyout with his team and will be over here next year for sure. great news considering the drama with Rubio a couple years ago.

Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas, the fifth pick in the 2011 draft, has begun negotiating his release from his European team, sources told Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, and is expected to be able to play in North America next season.

Valanciunas has a $2.4 million buyout in his contract with his Lithuanian team, of which the Raptors are only permitted to pay $550,000. Valanciunas had previously said he was willing to pay whatever he had to in order to play in the NBA.

Valanciunas, who just turned 20 on May 6, is listed at 7-foot, 240 pounds and projects as a true center rather than a stretch power forward. His presence should allow Andrea Bargnani, the team’s leading scorer, to move out of the middle to the four or even the three, since Toronto also has Amir Johnson and Ed Davis to play power forward.

Jonas Valanciunas has started negotiations on the release agreement with his team in Lithuania, sources said, an important step in the 2011 lottery pick finally being able to join the Raptors.

While it has been expected all along that Valanciunas would be in the NBA in 2012-13 after a final season in his native country, news of talks with Lietuvos Rytas are a comforting development for Toronto fans who missed having their center of the future in 2011-12.

The release agreement is part of the process before Valanciunas can pay the $2.4-million buyout to the team in Lithuania and sign in Toronto. The Raptors are allowed to pay $550,000 of that.

There is no timetable for Valanciunas to join the Raptors and end the uncertainty that started last June, when NBA teams became concerned about the absence of a buyout in his contract, creating the possibility he would have to play in Europe for multiple seasons. That never happened. Toronto took him fifth overall in an investment for the future and quickly, and thankfully, saw Valanciunas sign a new deal in Lithuania that allowed him to get out of the deal in the 2012 offseason.

One non-Toronto executive called Valanciunas “a future franchise center” before the 2011 draft. While not every team shared the belief that he would be a star, there was a strong belief the 7-foot, 240-pounder would have a long and successful NBA career and that the Raptors made a sound choice despite the wait.

“I have no doubt that is the right pick or was the right pick for us,” Bryan Colangelo, the president and general manager, told NBA.com in March. “But it certainly wasn’t one that would gather instant gratification. There were other players on the board… that our fans and perhaps the media wanted us to take because they might come in and be an immediate-impact pick, if you will. But we made a long-term decision. We drafted a 19-year-old center prospect and despite the pressure of picking a so-called sexy pick or someone that might be a more-popular pick, we made the pick that we felt was the best decision, long term and short term, for the franchise because it fit right into this building process that we’re going through right now.”

The future is now, Ladies & Gentlemen.

Last edited by Joey; Wed May 30th, 2012 at 08:17 AM.

"That was Nasty right? Cocked that Joint back and banged on 'em." -James Johnson